By Horsetalk.co.nz
Arizona is trying to stop equine massage therapists from practicing without a veterinary degree.
The state’s Veterinary Medical Examining Board has sent cease-and-desist letters to two animal massage therapists, threatening them with fines and jail time for massaging animals without first going to veterinary school and obtaining a license to practice veterinary medicine.
In Arizona, massaging animals without a veterinary license is punishable by up to $3,500 in fines and six months in jail. However, if the therapists do not charge a fee for their work, they can continue.
Arizona’s definition of the practice of veterinary medicine encompasses nearly everything done to an animal for a fee. The law does not specifically target animal massage, but exempts equine dentistry from its definition of veterinary medicine. To practice equine dentistry in the state of Arizona, the practitioner must be certified by the International Association of Equine Dentistry or the Academy of Equine Dentistry and be under the general or direct supervision of an Arizona licensed veterinarian.
But three equine massage therapists are fighting back, and have enlisted the help of national law firm The Institute of Justice (IJ). They have filed a suit in the Maricopa County Superior Court, which challenges Arizona’s animal massage regulation as an unconstitutional violation of animal massage entrepreneurs’ right to earn an honest living.
Statement by Adam Trenk: “This attempt at legislation is another unfortunate example of over-regulation that will result in snuffing out small business practitioners.”
